AI news this week brings a free tool revolution that’s hard to ignore. The biggest stories from this week’s AI news: a $200/month browser just went completely free, eBay is handing out enterprise AI to 10,000 small businesses, and Claude just became the world’s best coding model. Plus, the first major lawsuit testing AI liability with minors could reshape the entire industry. Here’s everything from AI news this week that actually matters.
Reading time: 5 minutes | Published: October 5, 2025
Quick Wins: Try These Today
Perplexity Comet Browser – Now Free Forever
What changed: Was $200/month for Max subscribers. Now completely free for everyone, worldwide.
What it actually does: Chrome with an AI assistant in the sidebar. Highlight any text on any webpage, get instant AI summaries. Ask questions about what you’re reading. The AI can also browse websites for you.
I tested it for 3 hours: Downloaded it this morning (takes 2 minutes on Mac or Windows). The AI summary feature works well for long articles – I had it summarize a 5,000-word research paper in 30 seconds. The “browse for me” feature is hit-or-miss; worked great for comparing product prices, failed when I asked it to book a flight.
Reality check: It’s basically Chrome with ChatGPT built-in. Useful, not revolutionary. Perplexity has said they plan to track your browsing for ads eventually – free now doesn’t mean free forever means no tracking.
Who needs it: If you do a lot of research online (students, researchers, writers), the summary feature alone saves 10-15 minutes per day. If you’re happy with Chrome + separate ChatGPT tab, you don’t need this.
Try it: perplexity.ai/comet (Available now: Mac, Windows. iOS/Android coming soon)
Claude Sonnet 4.5 – Best Coding Model
What changed: Anthropic released Claude Sonnet 4.5 on September 29. Claims “best coding model in the world.”
What it actually does: AI coding assistant that writes, debugs, and refactors code. Outperforms GPT-5 and Gemini 2.5 Pro on coding benchmarks. Scores 74.5% on SWE-bench Verified (the hardest test – fixing real GitHub bugs).
I tested it with a React bug: Had a broken component that was causing infinite re-renders. GPT-4 suggested 3 solutions, none worked. Claude 4.5 identified the exact problem (useEffect dependency issue) in 10 seconds and gave me working code. Tested it – fixed on first try.
Reality check: It’s genuinely better at coding than anything I’ve used. Still hallucinates package names occasionally (suggested a React library that doesn’t exist). Not replacing developers, but it’s like having a sharp junior dev who never sleeps.
Pricing: Same as Claude Sonnet 4 – $3 per million input tokens, $15 per million output tokens. Translation: About $0.10-0.30 per complex coding task.
Who needs it: Developers, obviously. But also useful if you’re learning to code – it explains what’s wrong better than Stack Overflow.
Try it: claude.ai or via API with model claude-sonnet-4-5
eBay’s Free ChatGPT Enterprise (UK Sellers Only)
What changed: eBay launched “AI Activate” program on October 1. Giving 10,000 UK small businesses free ChatGPT Enterprise for 12 months.
What you get: The full Enterprise version ($60/user/month value). Better data privacy, higher usage limits than consumer ChatGPT, plus custom training on how to use it for your business.
Use cases they’re targeting: Writing product descriptions, responding to buyers, analyzing sales data, creating marketing campaigns, financial analysis.
Reality check: This is actually useful. ChatGPT Enterprise has no usage caps, priority access during busy times, and your data isn’t used for training. The catch: UK eBay sellers only, 10,000 spots total, first-come basis.
Who needs it: If you sell on eBay UK, apply immediately. Even if you only use it to write better product descriptions, it pays for itself (would cost $720 over 12 months).
Apply: Through eBay’s “AI Activate” program page (search “eBay AI Activate UK”)
AI News That Matters This Week
🔥 Immediate Impact (Available Now)
Google Gemini 2.5 Flash Gets Faster and Cheaper (September 25)
What changed: 50% cost reduction for Flash-Lite, 24% for Flash. Better at following instructions, less verbose (fewer wasted tokens). Available now in Google AI Studio.
Why it matters: If you’re building AI apps with Google’s models, your costs just dropped significantly. Performance improved too – 5% better on coding benchmarks.
OpenAI Adds Memory to Free ChatGPT (Rolling out now)
What changed: Free users now get conversation memory. ChatGPT remembers your preferences, past discussions, and can reference previous chats.
Why it matters: Free tier is getting genuinely useful. Previously, memory was Plus-only ($20/month feature).
Catch: Only for logged-in users. In Europe, you have to opt-in manually due to privacy regulations.
Anthropic Adds VS Code Extension (September 29)
What changed: Claude Code now has a native VS Code extension. See Claude’s code changes in real-time with inline diffs. Includes new “checkpoints” feature – save your progress, roll back if needed.
Why it matters: Makes Claude Code actually usable for serious development. Before this, it was terminal-only.
📅 Coming Soon (Watch These)
ChatGPT Pulse – Your AI Morning Briefing (September 25, Pro users only)
What it is: ChatGPT now works overnight to research topics for you and delivers personalized updates each morning. Connects to your calendar, reads your chat history, and surfaces relevant information.
When you get it: Rolling out to Pro users ($200/month) on mobile now. Plus users “coming soon.”
Reality check: Cool concept, but limited by capacity constraints. OpenAI can only offer it to Pro tier due to compute requirements. Feels like AI-powered RSS feeds that read your calendar.
Perplexity Comet Mobile App (Coming “soon”)
What it is: Mobile version of Comet browser with voice interface.
When: They said “soon” which in AI company time means 1-3 months.
🤔 Watch This (Potential Game-Changers)
Microsoft Adding Claude to Copilot (Announced September)
What’s happening: Microsoft is integrating Anthropic’s Claude models into Microsoft 365 Copilot. Starting with “Researcher” and Copilot Studio.
Why it matters: First time Microsoft is using non-OpenAI models in their flagship AI product. Signals they’re hedging bets, not putting all eggs in OpenAI basket.
When: Rolling out in phases, full availability unclear.
OpenAI’s Instant Checkout (September, US only)
What it is: Buy products directly in ChatGPT conversations. Starting with Etsy, expanding to 1M+ Shopify merchants.
Why it matters if it works: Could change how we shop online. Instead of googling → clicking links → checkout, you just ask ChatGPT and buy.
Why it might not matter: People don’t trust AI with their credit cards yet. Early adoption will be slow.
💭 Overhyped (Reality Check)
“GPT-5 is Revolutionary”
The hype: OpenAI rolled out GPT-5 in August with claims of massive improvements.
The reality: Users complained it felt “dumber” than GPT-4. Sam Altman blamed a “router issue.” The model picker (Auto, Fast, Thinking modes) confuses users. Most people are sticking with GPT-4o.
Verdict: Wait 2-3 months for them to work out the kinks. Not revolutionary yet.
Deep Dive: I Tested Perplexity’s Free Browser For A Day
The Setup
Downloaded Comet browser this morning (October 7) on my MacBook Pro. Took exactly 2 minutes to install. It’s built on Chromium (same as Chrome), so all my Chrome extensions work.
First impression: It looks exactly like Chrome, except there’s an “Assistant” button next to the address bar and a sidebar that appears when you need it.
What I Tested
Test 1: Research Assistant (Best Feature)
Task: Summarize a 5,000-word research paper on AI safety.
Process:
- Opened the paper (PDF)
- Clicked “Summarize” button
- Got a 200-word summary in 30 seconds
Result: The summary was accurate, captured key points, included citations to specific sections. This is genuinely useful – would have taken me 20 minutes to read and summarize manually.
Test 2: Browse For Me (Mixed Results)
Task 1: “Compare prices for Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones across Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart.”
Result: ✅ Worked perfectly. Got prices from all three sites in 45 seconds, showed me which was cheapest ($348 on Amazon vs $399 elsewhere).
Task 2: “Book me a flight from New York to London, cheapest option, flexible dates.”
Result: ❌ Failed. Kept showing me search results instead of actually browsing booking sites. Gave up after 3 attempts.
Verdict on Browse For Me: Works for simple comparisons, fails for complex multi-step tasks. Not ready to replace manual browsing for anything complicated.
Test 3: Sidebar Assistant
Task: Highlight complicated legal text, ask AI to explain in simple terms.
Process:
- Reading a software terms of service
- Highlighted confusing paragraph
- Right-clicked “Explain this”
- Got plain-English explanation
Result: This is the killer feature. Makes reading dense technical content actually manageable. Used it 10+ times today on different websites.
Pricing Reality
Current: Free, completely. No usage limits, no credit card required.
Future: Perplexity’s CEO previously said they plan to “track everything users do online to sell hyper-personalized ads.” Right now, they claim it’s privacy-focused (data stored locally). Watch this space.
Paid tiers coming:
- Comet Plus ($5/month): AI-enhanced news reader
- Pro ($20/month): Advanced AI models
- Max ($200/month): Best models, email assistant, background tasks
Who Should Use It
Perfect for:
- Researchers (the summarize feature alone is worth it)
- Students writing papers
- Anyone reading 10+ articles per day
- People who comparison shop frequently
Skip it if:
- You’re happy with Chrome + separate ChatGPT
- You don’t do heavy online research
- You’re concerned about future privacy implications
My Verdict After One Day
Keeping it: Yes, the summarize feature saves me genuine time.
Recommending it: Yes, but with caveats. It’s free now, but Perplexity has venture capital to please. When they need to monetize, expect either ads or aggressive upselling to paid tiers.
Best use case: Academic research, news consumption, comparison shopping.
Worst use case: Anything requiring complex multi-step browsing (booking travel, filling forms, etc.).
Upcoming Events Worth Your Time
Microsoft AI Workshop: Build Custom Copilots – October 15, 2025
📍 Virtual (Free) ⏱️ 2 hours (3pm-5pm ET) 💰 Free ✨ Why attend: They’re actually showing how to build custom copilots, not just talking about them. Hands-on workshop with code examples. ⚠️ Skip if: You’re not a developer or IT admin. This is technical. 🔗 Register: microsoft.com/ai-workshop (Closes October 12)
AI Tools for Small Business Webinar – October 18, 2025
📍 Virtual (Free) ⏱️ 1 hour (12pm-1pm ET) 💰 Free ✨ Why attend: Practical AI tools for non-technical business owners. They cover: ChatGPT for customer service, AI for marketing, automation tools. ⚠️ Skip if: You’re already using AI daily. This is beginner-level. 🔗 Register: [Event link]
TechCrunch Disrupt – October 27-29, 2025
📍 San Francisco (In-person) ⏱️ 3 days 💰 $1,995 (Early bird ended, but bundle deals available) ✨ Why attend: Major AI announcements happen here. Networking with founders, investors, early access to new products. ⚠️ Skip if: You’re not in the AI industry professionally or budget is tight. This is expensive and industry-focused. 🔗 Register: techcrunch.com/disrupt
Community Pulse: What Reddit & Twitter Are Saying
Reddit’s Take on Comet: Top comment on r/artificial: “It’s just Chrome with a chatbot. Why do we need this?” – 847 upvotes
Reality: Yes, but sometimes “just X with Y” is useful. Email was “just letters but digital.”
Twitter Hot Take on Claude 4.5: “Finally, a model that doesn’t hallucinate npm packages that don’t exist” – viral tweet, 12K likes
I tested this: Claude 4.5 still hallucinates packages, just less often. Improvement, not perfection.
eBay ChatGPT Enterprise Response: “This is actually useful for once. Free enterprise access is huge.” – Multiple UK seller forums
Rare case of genuine appreciation for AI company move.
The Dark Side: Character.AI Lawsuit
What Happened
On October 2, parents in Colorado filed a lawsuit against Character.AI. Their teenage son died by suicide. They allege the AI chatbot played a role through “emotionally manipulative conversations.”
Why This Matters
This could become a landmark case determining:
- Are AI companies liable when chatbots interact with minors?
- What duty of care do they have?
- Can they be held responsible for harm?
What’s Changing Now
Expect across ALL AI chatbots:
- Stricter age verification
- Content filters for minors
- Mental health resources prominent
- Conversations flagged for concerning content
OpenAI already responding: Announced new restrictions for users under 18 (no “flirtatious talk,” suicide intervention protocols, parental contact systems).
The Honest Take
This is complicated. AI chatbots can provide companionship for lonely people. They can also create unhealthy attachment, especially for vulnerable individuals. There’s no easy answer, but the industry’s “move fast and break things” approach doesn’t work when the thing breaking is a human life.
Next Week: What to Watch in AI News
- More AI Browser Wars Google, Microsoft, OpenAI all have browser AI features. Expect competitive responses to Perplexity going free.
- Age Verification Rollouts After Character.AI lawsuit, expect rapid deployment of stronger protections for minors across all chatbots.
- OpenAI’s Weekly GPT-5 Updates They’re doing weekly improvements. Next batch coming mid-October.
Bottom Line: AI News This Week Recap
This week’s theme: The free tool revolution continues, but with growing pains.
The good: Perplexity’s $200 browser is free, eBay is democratizing enterprise AI, Claude is genuinely better at coding.
The concerning: First major lawsuit testing AI liability. Companies moving fast, regulation lagging behind.
What you should try this week:
- Perplexity Comet if you do heavy research
- Claude 4.5 if you code at all
- Apply for eBay’s ChatGPT program if you sell in UK
What you should watch:
- How courts handle the Character.AI case
- What age verification looks like across platforms
- Whether Perplexity stays truly “free forever”
Your Take?
Which tool from AI news this week are you most excited to try? Have you tested Comet browser or Claude 4.5 yet? What’s your experience?
Drop a comment or email me with your thoughts. I read every message and often feature reader insights in future posts.
📚 Previous Weeks:
- AI News 28 September: DeepSeek Shakes Silicon Valley While Your AI Gets Smarter Without You
- AI News This Week: YouTube Creator Revolution + 3 Free AI Tools (September 2025)
- View All Weekly Roundups
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Last updated: October 3, 2025 at 9:00am ET Next post: Saturday, October 12, 2025
Tags: AI news this week, AI tools weekly, Claude Sonnet 4.5, Perplexity Comet, AI news October 2025, AI tool reviews, free AI tools